Automatic ball return for bowling alleys



Nmh 59 i935,

Filed June 14, 1933 E. HEDENSKQQG AUTOMATIC BALL RETURN FOR lBOWLINGALLEYS v v 2 'sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATESAUTOMATIC BALL RETURN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS Ernest Hedenskoog, Muskegon,Mich., assigner to The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, lChicago,Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 14, 1933, Serial No.675,676

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved automatic ball return for bowlingalleys, and this application constitutes a continuation in part ofapplication for patent on Automatic outside bowling alley, Serial No.514,808 filed February 10, 1931.

An important object of this invention is to provide a means forautomatically returning a bowling ball to the player along an inclinedrunway, after the ball has been used and has rolled into the pit of thebowling alley.

Another important object of the invention is to provide automaticequipment for use in conjunction with the automatic bowling alleydescribed in the aforesaid pending application which shall act to returnall balls to the player no matter how often or how many balls arerolled, and without any attention whatsoever on the part of the player.

Still another important object of the invention is the provision of acombination of arms and levers whereby an impeller for raising the ballto the top of the inclined runway is continuously operated and in such amanner that it will automatically engage the rear face of a ballwhenever a ball appears on the rails for return purposes.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and followingspecication.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings- Figure l is a side elevation of the improved automaticball return of this invention, showing particularly the operating means,the links and levers.and the operation of the impelling arm in dottedlines.

Figure 2 is a. plan view of the rail structure 1 upon which the ballsroll to the impeller.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the apparatus, showing the alley bed, thereturn rails for the balls, and the automatically operated ballimpeller.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the bell crank and associatedmechanism for the ball impeller arm.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the guard for the balls on the returnway.

As shown in the drawings- The reference numeral Ill indicates generallythe framework of the improved automatic ball return of this invention,the framework comprising essentially a pair of side elements whichenclose a pit for the reception of balls which are directed at the pinsin the alley. The pit includes a. runway I2 which passes out through 'anopening I4 in the side member I0 and upon which balls I6 are adapted toroll, the rails I2 being slightly inclined outwardly so that the balls 5will naturally assume theposition shown in Figure 1.

The construction and operation of the bowling alley is fully described-and set forth in the copending application hereinabove mentioned and 10will accordingly notI be described in detail here.

The automatic pin setting device is driven by a motor I8 which alsocontinuously Aoperates a crank 20, to the outer end of which crank ispivotally attacheda link 22, the lower end of this 15 link being in turnmounted on a plate 24 in the shape of a bell crank lever, as shown. Thisbell crank lever is pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine at 26.

Pivotally mounted to the other arm of the bell 20 crank lever, at 28, isthe upper end of a ball impeller 30, and a stop in the form of a socketor the like 32 is formed integral with the plate 24 at a point back ofthe ball impeller, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, whereby movement of thebell crank 25 lever about its pivot 26 will cause a corresponding upwardmotion of the ball impeller 30 into the position shown in the dottedlines in Figure l.

A stop 3i in the form of a projecting pin or the like is fixed on theframework I0 so as to 30 limit the backward motion of the ball impeller30, and a slot 3l is provided in this element for the working receptionof the pin 28.

Whenever a ball I6 is deposited on the runway I2, the inclination of therunway will cause the ball to pass out through the opening I4, at whichpoint the runway curves at a right angle and continues in the form of anupwardly inclined returnway 36. This returnway is curved to correspondto the arc of movement of the end of 40 the ball impeller 30.

The ball impeller 30 is continuously moved from the position shown inthe full lines, to the dotted line position and back again and whenevera ball appears just outside the opening Il 45 the lower end of theimpeller will contact the ball, which will then accordingly be propelledup the returnway 36 and delivered at the top thereof, as best shown at38 in Figure 1, from which point it is allowed to roll by gravity down acontinu- 50 ation 40 of the returnway, the height of the top of therunway being such that a ball delivered vthereto will acquire suflcientmomentumto insure its delivery at the players end of the alley.

A guard 42 is provided to insure againstl a ball 55 leaving thereturnway 36 under the original propelling action of the impeller 30A.The plane of movement of the arm 30 is outside the end of the guard 42,as shown in Figure 3.

It will be evident that herein is provided an automatic ball return forbowling alleys which is simple in construction, eiective in operationand not at all likely to get out of order. Furthermore, the device isadequately equipped to handle any number of balls which may be used inplay of this sort, without complicating the delivery thereof orembarrassing or annoying the players in any Way.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details y ofconstruction varied throughout a wide range, without departing from theprinciples of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limitingthe patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the priorart.

I claim as my invention- 1. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys,comprising a curved returnway, a pivoted arm movable over the returnwayand comprising a radius of the curve,l means for delivering a ball tothe lower end of the returnway, and continuously rotated means formoving the arm over and behind the ball and thence upwardly to the upperportion of the returnway.

2. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, comprising va curvedreturnway, a pivoted arm movable over the returnway and comprising aradius of the curve, means for delivering a ball to the lower end of thereturnway, and means for moving the arm over and behind any ball on thelower end of the returnway and thence upwardly to the upper portion ofthe returnway, said armmoving means comprising a pair of levers, oneoperating as a crank and the other slidable upon the said arm.

3. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, comprising a curvedreturnway, a pivoted arm movable over the returnway and comprising aradius of the curve, means for delivering a ball to the lower end of thereturnway, and means for moving the arm over the ball and thence upward-,ly to the upper portion of the returnway, said armmoving meanscomprising a pair of levers, one operating as a crank and the otherslidable upon the said arm, and continuously rotatable means foroperating the crank arm.

4. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, including a pair ofreturn rails in the bowling alley pit, an inclined returnway, to whichthe rails deliver the balls, and means associated with the returnway forimpelling the balls upwardly thereover and delivering the same to thetop thereof, said means comprising a motor driven crank, a pivoted bellcrank arm, a link connecting the crank of the bell crank arm and theimpeller positioned on the bell crank arm with its lower end adjacentthe curved returnway.

5. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, including a pair ofreturn rails in the bowling alley pit, an inclined returnway, to whichthe rails deliver the balls, and means associated with the returnway forimpelling the balls upwardly thereover and delivering the same to thetop thereof, said means comprising a motor driven crank, a pivoted bellcrank arm, a slotted link connecting the crank of the bell crank arm andthe impeller positioned on the bell crank arm with its lower endadjacent the curved returnway, and means on the bell crank arm forcontacting the impeller and moving the end of the sa/me from the bottomto the top of the returnway upon shifting of the bell crank lever aboutits pivot.

6. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, comprising an inclinedreturnway outside the alley, and means continuously movable up and downthe returnway for impelling the balls upwardly thereover upon thedelivery of any balls to theV arm is mounted, and means for rotating thebell crank lever about its pivot.

'7. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, comprising an inclinedreturnway, and means continuously movable up and down the returnway forimpelling the balls upwardly thereover upon the delivery of any balls tothe returnway, said means comprising an impeller arm above thereturnway, a pivoted bell crank lever upon which said impeller arm ismounted, means for rotating the bell crank lever about its pivot, andstop means on the bell crank lever for forcing the impeller into upwardmovement upon corresponding downward movement of the corresponding partof the bell crank lever.

8. An automatic ball return for bowling alleys, comprising an inclinedreturnway and means continuously movable up and down the returnway forimpelling the balls upwardly thereover upon the delivery of any balls tothe returnway, said means comprising an impeller arm, a pivoted bellcrank lever upon which said impeller arm is mounted, means for rotatingthe bell crank lever about itsvpivot, and stop means on the bell cranklever for forcing the impeller into upward movement upon correspondingdownward movement of the corresponding part of the bell crank lever, anda further stop means associated with the free end of the impeller armfor preventing swinging thereof at the end of its downward travel.

ERNEST HEDENSKOOG.

